Cavaliers rookies don't lose heart during early struggles

"You have to stay focused and keep working. The biggest thing if you're not winning, it's easy to start giving up and quit working as hard, [thinking] 'Oh, we're going to lose.' You have to keep working hard and remaining positive," Tyler Zeller said.
AP Photo

“I didn’t even want to go to practice the day after we lost a game,” said Cavaliers rookie Kevin Jones. “It was a rough thing in college.”

So imagine his surprise when he showed up for practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Thursday, the day after the Cavs were defeated by the Chicago Bulls to extend their losing streak to three games and drop their record to 4-15 heading into tonight’s game at Minnesota.

“Of course, we want to correct mistakes that might have cost us the game,” Jones said.

“But nobody’s pouting. Nobody’s glum. Everybody’s keeping their head up and keeping in good spirits.”

“It's definitely more upbeat than I expected. People are not happy about the losing record at all, but I think everybody is trying to keep their spirits high and try to come together as a team because this is when everybody needs it the most. There are way more games in the NBA than in college, so you've got to have a short memory. It's a long season, and your season can turn around in a couple of games.”

Jones, of course, is really just happy to be here. He was called up from the Cavs NBA Development League affiliate in Canton on Monday, and he didn't even play in Wednesday's game. But he and fellow rookies Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller – like Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson last year – are learning how to lose at a whole new level. Of the three, only Zeller lost more games in one entire college season than the Cavs have already lost this season. Waiters has actually lost more games this season than in his entire two-year career at Syracuse.

Zeller was asked if losing affects him.

“It does,” said the rookie from North Carolina, whose Tar Heels went 20-17 in his sophomore season after winning the national title the year before. “You have to stay focused and keep working. The biggest thing if you're not winning, it's easy to start giving up and quit working as hard, [thinking] 'Oh, we're going to lose.'

“You have to keep working hard and remaining positive.”

Cavs coach Byron Scott isn't worried about his young players getting bogged down in the losing, though, because he is confident veterans Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson won't let them.

“We've got two guys in that locker room who were here when we lost 26 in a row,” Scott said, referring to the NBA-record losing streak during the 2010-11 season. “They never wavered. I know those two guys are going to keep fighting. I know the other young guys we have don't know any different right now but to go out there and fight.

“Like I told them in the locker room [after the Chicago game], we're just going to keep working and this thing's going to turn around. If you keep working hard, keep playing hard, good things are going to happen.”

Jones said he and his teammates take their cues from Varejao and Gibson.

“They've been here through the winning and the losing,” he said. “They're the heart and soul of the team. They make sure everybody's spirits are high and everybody is still sticking together and getting better every practice. It's their demeanor. Nothing really fazes them. It keeps you calm when you see the leaders of the team calm.”

Masked man: Zeller said he wasn't sure how much longer he would have to wear a mask to protect his broken cheekbone. He was injured Nov. 5 and was told he would have to wear the mask for six weeks, which would be Dec. 17.

But it's unclear if he has to wear it six weeks from the time of the injury, or six weeks from his first game back against Dallas on Nov. 17. If it's the latter, he would have to wear it until Dec. 29.

At one point, the rookie said that if he got used to it, he might keep wearing it, such as Chicago's Rip Hamilton did. But he made it clear Thursday that as soon as he can take off the mask, he will.

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